by K Leitch
‘I almost bloody forgot that we’d said we would meet tonight…why didn’t you remind me Carla?’ he said taking off his coat.
Linda stood looking uncertainly at Carla, who just laughed and said, ‘Well because I had completely forgotten about it as well that’s why…but seeing as we’re all here let’s get some coffee going and you can tell us what you’ve discovered Linda.’
James stood and went over to the kettle, ‘You sit down love,’ he said to Carla, giving her a kiss as he pushed her towards a chair. ‘I will make the coffee and some sandwiches to keep us going.’
Linda spread out her reports on the kitchen table, not for nothing was she Ted’s daughter, everything had been coloured coded and tagged.
Carla smiled, ‘Blimey love you’ve been busy,’ she said, ‘how many photos have you taken, looks like hundreds.’
Linda blushed, ‘Well I wanted to be thorough so a lot of them are of the same people just at different times.’
Linda had been following Clive Tutt for about a week, and what she had found was more or less the same as Ted had discovered, except that Linda had managed to get a couple of pictures of him receiving envelopes from the men that he had dealings with.
‘It’s almost like he’s got some sort of business going with these men, although I haven’t yet seen what it is he’s providing them with.’
Carla was looking at one picture in particular of Tutt and Michael White, CEO of a local charity.
‘Is it my imagination or are they arguing about something,’ she asked, showing the picture to Linda.
‘No you’re right, Mr White was not at all happy to see Tutt,’ said Linda. ‘I thought at one point they were going to come to blows…and it was all very furtive, Michael White was constantly looking around him, seemed to dread being seen talking to Tutt.’
‘Well I can’t say I blame him,’ said James placing a huge plate of ham sandwiches on the table, ‘he seems like an awful little shit.’
Everyone laughed except Frank who had picked up one of Ted’s old photos that Linda had brought with her and was staring at it with a weird look on his face.
‘Who is this?’ he asked pointing at the photo.
Linda took it from him, ‘Well that’s Tutt…only in those days he went by the name of…’
‘Robert Gray,’ Frank finished for her.
‘Yes that’s right…did you know him?’ Linda asked.
Frank’s face took on a hard look, ‘Oh yes I knew him,’ he said tight lipped.
‘But how did you know him Frank?’ asked Carla.
Frank seemed to think for a moment, then he shook his head. ‘Oh he was just one of the caretakers at my old school that’s all,’ he said, ‘oh great ham…I am so hungry, I haven’t eaten anything since two digestive biscuits at about six this morning.’ He grabbed two of the sandwiches and ate them hungrily and the moment passed, but Carla thought about it later. Frank had been disturbed by that old photo…properly disturbed, now why would he react like that about some old caretaker at his school…Carla was determined to find out.
CHAPTER 35 - 1987
Franklin’s bed was furthest from the door in a room of six beds. He had found it really strange to sleep with so many others in the room when he had arrived at Glendon House a month ago, staring up at the ceiling most nights feeling lost and alone…listening to his roommate’s snores and grunts. Eventually sheer exhaustion had taken over and he had slept, and now he was used to it.
He was on his own in the dormitory today, the school holidays had ended and the rest of the kids in the house had gone back to school, not that Franklin missed them…he barely noticed them. For him life was made up of sleeping and eating…he spoke to no one, he didn’t read or watch the TV, he never smiled and he never ever cried.
Since that awful day a month ago when his bedroom door had finally been unlocked and Gillian Hill had rushed into his stinking filthy room, covered him with a blanket and told him to ‘Keep your eyes closed Franklin…tight closed…don’t look darling.’
She had held him tightly against her as she carefully carried him downstairs. But Franklin had looked…he had peered through a tiny hole in the blanket and he had seen his mother. His mother being cut down from the banisters where she had been hanging, her eyes bulging from her head, her tongue swollen and protruding from the side of her mouth…and he had screamed.
Clawing and pulling at Mrs Hill, desperate to get to Mum…he had screamed and sobbed and begged, but all he could do was watch her being loaded up into an ambulance and driven away.
Gillian Hill had hushed him and cooed to him until he began to settle down; snuggling into the warm softness of her bosom he had slept.
He had been woken by the feel of hands dragging him away from his safe warm cocoon; he fought against them, kicking out until he was jolted awake properly by a stern voice.
‘Now then…none of that my boy, you have to come with us now,’ Franklin swivelled out of his soft burrow and looked up into the face of an elderly man who was holding him by the arms. The man lifted him up…Franklin screamed again and tried frantically to escape back to Mrs Hill who was crying almost as much as he was. But the man kept a tight grip on him and he found himself being bundled into the back of a car, where another lady was waiting for him.
She pulled him towards her, but not in the gentle way that Mrs Hill had done, clamping her arms around him so that he couldn’t move.
‘Hello Franklin,’ she said once he had given up fighting her, ‘I’m Miss Downey…don’t be scared now, we are going to take you somewhere where you’ll be safe ok.’
Franklin had screamed at her that he wanted his mum, he didn’t want to go with her…he just wanted Mum.
‘Well now that’s not going to happen I’m afraid Franklin…your mum’s dead you see…so we have to take you somewhere to keep you safe, and where you’ll be looked after. Come on now it won’t be so bad you’ll see…there’s lots of other children there to play with, so you just be a good boy and sit quietly and we’ll be there in a jiffy.’
Franklin hadn’t sat quietly and been a good boy…he had fought with them every step of the way; he had screamed blue murder until finally the lady lost her patience with him.
‘Right that’s enough Franklin, stop being such a little brat…you are not the only child that’s lost his mother so stop feeling sorry for yourself and shut up!’ she shouted at him.
Franklin had shut up…and he hadn’t said a word, not to any of them since. He had been sedated for a day or so until he was deemed fit to mingle with the other children, but since then he had just kept to himself, lying on his bed or sitting by himself in the living room. He simply didn’t want to be in this place, he didn’t want to play with these children…he wanted Mum.
It had been decided that he wasn’t quite ready to go back to school yet; so that was why he was here on his own today…which suited him just fine.
Miss Downey had popped in for a few minutes earlier to make sure he was alright.
‘Are you going to be ok here on your own today Franklin?’ she had asked absently, as she read a letter in her hand, when she got no reply she stopped reading and looked at him over her glasses.
‘Maybe tomorrow you would like to go to school with the others…what do you think?’
Franklin didn’t answer her…he just stared at the ceiling.
‘Ok well we’ll see how you are tomorrow, won’t we,’ she had said rolling her eyes as she left the room.
Janet, another lady that worked in the house put her head around the door.
‘I’m popping out for half an hour Franklin to do some shopping…do you want to come?’
Franklin ignored her.
‘Right well I won’t be long…Mr Gray the caretaker is around and about if you need anything.’
And then she was gone…the big house seemed very quiet with all the kids gone; Franklin pulled his blankets over him and closed his eyes.
He opened them a few moments later
when he became aware of someone else in the room. A man was standing over his bed; his trousers were round his ankles and he was holding his erect penis in one hand while he pulled the blankets off Franklin with the other.
Icy tendrils of fear curled themselves around Franklin’s heart…he curled up into a ball, trying to cover himself from the man’s glassy stare. The man just watched him, not saying a word, he was rubbing something all over his willy, something shiny and greasy as he moved closer.
Whimpering, Franklin shuffled down to the end of the bed trying to make a run for it, but he was caught easily and flipped over onto his stomach. His face was pushed down into the bedding and held there with an iron grip as the man forced his slicked up cock inside him.
The pain was unbearable, Franklin twisted and squirmed trying to get away from the terrible assault, but the was held firm and had to endure the agonising invasion until he heard a load groan from behind him and he was unceremoniously pushed away. He lay there panting and sobbing for a moment, keeping his face pressed into the blankets as the man dressed himself…he stayed there until he was sure that he was on his own again. He was sore and bleeding… ashamed and embarrassed, he found a flannel and wet it in the sink at the end of the dormitory wiping himself as best he could until the bleeding stopped, and then he buried himself back under his blankets and cried silently…hopelessly for his mum.
No one noticed anything was wrong when they all returned to the house later on. Yes Franklin seemed even more introverted than usual, and he seemed even more reluctant to join in, but on the other hand he was up and ready to go to school the next morning…so it was thought that he was on the mend at last.
CHAPTER 36 - TRACY
‘Yes well I wasn’t invited was I,’ said Louisa with a wry smile at Tim, ‘Although I have to say that it was lovely to see Tim in all his finery again, I can’t remember when we last went to a black tie do, and I don’t know about you Tracy but I just love a man in a dinner jacket.’ She waggled her eyebrows at Tim who just laughed and blew her a kiss.
‘Oh me too,’ said Tracy enthusiastically, ‘it’s all so terribly ‘James Bond’…although I have to say I don’t think Daniel Craig can hold a candle to my Simon when he smartens himself up…mmm makes my tummy do flip flops just thinking about it.’
‘Oh my God darling you are sooo loved up aren’t you,’ said Louisa laughing. ‘I am going to have to meet the amazing Simon and judge for myself, we must have the two of you over for dinner one evening, maybe invite your new buddies as well Tim. He hasn’t introduced me to them yet Tracy would you believe, it’s like he wants to keep them all to himself, but maybe we can persuade him to ask them along,’ she gave Tracy a look. Tim had become thick as thieves with the Robinson brothers after finally speaking to them about the offending trees, and Tracy had an inkling that Louisa was a bit peeved by how much time he had been spending with them.
Oblivious to his wife’s angst, Tim gave her an indulgent smile. ‘Definitely darling, although I think it will be a job to pin down Gordon and Freddy, they are always busy you know…but it would be lovely to meet your other half Tracy.’
Tracy smiled shyly, she was still a bit overwhelmed by Tim if she was honest, he was just so very glamorous and upper class…he made her feel like a bit of a pleb. Not that he did it intentionally…oh no he was incredibly down to earth and kind, but quite frankly she wasn’t used to being around such posh people and she was always left with the feeling that she might have committed some dreadful social faux pas after speaking with him.
She realised that Louisa had been speaking to her and had called her name a couple of times.
‘Oh sorry Louisa, how rude of me I was miles away…what did you say?’ she said flustered.
‘I said what day would suit you…for dinner you know,’ said Louisa smiling kindly.
‘Oh we’re easy really,’ gushed Tracy. ‘I would just have to make sure that Nora could sit with the children, why don’t I check with Simon and Nora and I’ll get back to you.’
‘Well that will be something to look forward to…won’t it Tim?’
Tim was miles away as well, looking at his computer screen, ‘What…oh yes great…look forward to it,’ he said vaguely.
Louisa rolled her eyes at Tracy and whirred her way over to the coffee machine to refill her cup, she offered Tracy a refill but she shook her head.
‘Oh I’d better not have any more thank you, and I’d really better be getting home…this little one won’t sleep for much longer, and I’ll have to pick Zack up from nursery soon,’ she said rocking Tilly’s buggy back and forth gently.
‘I know what I did want to ask you though Tim,’ she said gathering all Tilly’s paraphernalia up and putting it into the bag on the buggy. ‘What were all those children doing out so late the other night? I mean I assume that they must have come with the caterers, I remember you saying that the Robinson’s had got outside caterers in, but those poor little mites they looked as though they were dead on their feet. Surely their parents could have had them watched rather that bring them to work with them, but then again maybe that’s how they do it in these Eastern European countries…who am I to judge…’
She tailed off as she noticed that the temperature in the room seemed to have dropped and Louisa was giving Tim a rather hard look.
Tim looked a bit flustered but he said, ‘Oh I really don’t know Tracy, if there were children there I never saw them…as you say they must have tagged along with their parents and yes it was a Polish company doing the food I think, so who knows how they arrange their child care, not me certainly.’ He finished rather shortly, once again making Tracy feel like a bit of a fool. You could have cut the atmosphere in the kitchen with a knife after that, so Tracy hastily took her leave, promising to call and fix a date for dinner.
She almost got home when she realised that she’d left Tilly’s beloved ‘moomoo’ on the table at Tim and Louisa’s. ‘Buggerations,’ she muttered under her breath, there was no way she could leave it, Tilly absolutely refused to sleep without it. So she turned the buggy round and headed back the way she’d just come.
She hadn’t even reached the house before she heard raised voices coming from inside, ‘Oh bloody hell how embarrassing,’ she said to herself as she edged closer.
‘YOU PROMISED TIM…YOU GAVE ME YOUR WORD…I WARNED YOU IF IT HAPPENED AGAIN…I TOLD YOU,’ Louisa shouted at the top of her voice.
‘AND I TOLD YOU NOTHING HAPPENED,’ Tim bellowed back at her. ‘ARE YOU CALLING ME A LIAR…ARE YOU LOUISA…’ Tim obviously lowered his voice at this point because Tracy could only catch the odd word, ‘…believe that silly cow over me…why would I jeopardise everything…if I don’t have your trust…’
Tracy turned the buggy round again…Tilly would have to settle for ‘Panda’ tonight; ‘moomoo’ was staying where it was. There was no way she was barging into that argument not even for a good night’s sleep.
CHAPTER 37
‘Daniel…you know the other night?’ said Andy looking over to where Daniel was reading, lying sideways on his bed.
Daniel didn’t even look up from his book, ‘What night?’ he asked.
‘You know that night when you were out really late…the night when Nellie came?’
‘Look I told you before stop asking me about it…you don’t want to know ok?’ Daniel said giving him a hard stare.
‘Yeh but…I just want to ask,’ Andy persisted, ‘what were all those children doing, it was like two in the morning…and you don’t even like old Tutt, so why were you out with him?’
Daniel turned towards the wall ignoring him.
‘I won’t dob you in or anything…you know I wouldn’t do that…I just think it’s a bit funny that’s all,’ Andy went on.
‘And I’m scared Nellie’s found out where I am. You don’t know what he’s like Daniel, if he’s found me he might want to cut my eyes out…that’s what he does…he hurts people.’
Still no response from Daniel.
‘Anyway what would old Tutt want with all those kids? I don’t understand…’
‘Oh for fucks sake,’ shouted Daniel turning back round, ‘you aren’t going to give it up are you?’ He muttered under his breath as he got out of bed, Andy scuttled away thinking he was going to thump him, but instead Daniel pulled his bed to one side and started fiddling around with the wall behind the bed. Andy climbed onto Daniel’s bed to see what he was doing, behind the bed in the corner, a piece of the skirting board had been removed and behind it was a small hole, just big enough to hide something in. Daniel pulled out an old sock that had been stuffed in the hole, then he turned round to Andy and said, ‘This is my secret place…no one else knows about it right, so if anything ever goes missing from here I’ll know who’s taken it…okay?’
Andy nodded nervously, ‘I wouldn’t Daniel…I promise I wouldn’t tell anyone…ever.’
‘Well you’d better not,’ Daniel said again. He pulled the contents of the sock out onto the bed. Andy gasped because inside that old dirty sock was a big pile of banknotes and coins…there must have been hundreds of pounds.
Andy turned to Daniel, eyes as big as saucers, ‘Where did you get it…how much is there?’
Daniel smiled one of his rare smiles. ‘I’ve been saving it haven’t I…I’m going to need some cash when I get out of this dump and no one else is going to help me…so I’ve been doing some jobs for old Tutt and saving it all. Don’t you tell anyone or they’ll take it away from me…’
‘I wouldn’t Daniel I promised didn’t I,’ Andy reassured him, ‘but you won’t be leaving here will you…not for ages I mean.’
Daniel just looked inscrutable and tapped the side of his nose. ‘Maybe sooner than you think Andy boy…I’ve been making plans, there’s money to be made if you keep your eyes open, and I’m not staying here a minute longer than I have to believe me.’
‘But where would you go Daniel?’ asked Andy worried, ‘you live here…and your mum’s not going to be let out of prison so who would look after you?’